How long to dread?

Even though I've made up my mind to dread, I'm still pondering if my hair is ready or not.  In some ways it's readier than anyone's, but it may literally fall short, or come close.

Hair with texture, before shower

I've been washing my hair using a non-residue natural shampoo that I make at home, and instead of conditioner I use a vinegar rinse.  I avoid putting a hat on when it's damp, but I've worn my took throughout this long, cold winter.  When it got really goddamned cold, I put on hat on over it when I went out.  I haven't brushed my hair since last summer . . . I'm going to say certainly August 2010, but probably sometime in July.

I think it's safe to say that my hair has texture, as evidenced by these before-and-after-shower pictures.  In the first, I pulled my took off and simply photographed exactly what I saw in the mirror.  The second picture is after I have towel-dried my hair.

Hair with texture, after shower

Where I may lack is in length.  Most sources I find online suggest a 4-6 inch minimum for my hair, because while it has texture and definitely can dread, it lacks the kink factor which makes it possible to lock hair when it's as short as an eighth of an inch, so it's claimed.

When I was a young man, I had more than 18 inches of hair, and I pulled it back into a ponytail for about a week straight, discovering the natural method for locking hair.  I never completed the process, but it tells me that I can probably get away with something closer to 4 inches, and I'm reasonably sure I've got at least 5 all around.

The main advantage of locking the hair when it's shorter is that it will take less time for my dreadful friends to help me.  The backcombing process can take six hours for 18 inches of hair, and is painful and tiring.

On the other hand, it also means less time to practice, so there won't be any really mythic dreads.

On the other other hand, my hair is going to take more maintenance in the first months to get it to lock.  Longer hair simply stays put better.

Ultimately I like shifting most of the work onto my own shoulders, since I will also reap most of the rewards, whatever they shall be.